Camera.



.l. C. DENSE & W. F. VO CKR OTH CAMERA.

APPLICATION HLED SEPT. 30. 1915.

- 1,200,174. Patenfed 00f. 3,1916.

l lln gvenfitm sz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN c. DENSE AND WILLIAM F. vocxao'rn, or ELMIBA, NEW Yoax CA ERA.

am na.

Specifications! Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 191,6.

Application filed September 30,1915. ,Serial N0.53,4 L1

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN C. Dsxsr: and \VlLuAu' F.- Yocnnorn, citizens of the United States, and residents of Elmira, in

5 the county of Chelnnng and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cameras, of which the following is a specification. a

' This invention relates particularly to photographic cameras in which means are provided for changing the film, or other sensitized medium, -after each exposure, by the operation -of a winding-key or other manually-operable 'device, and particularly to cameras of the well known roll-film type.

In the use of such cameras double exposures arefrequently produced,'owing to carelessness on the part of the operator in forgetting to'wind or change the film after the production of each exposurel Attemptshave beenmade to'avoidthis result by pro viding automatic devices for indicating visually whether'or not the-film has been -woun d, butsince the successful use of such :5 devices dependscupon the attention and ob;

servation of the u ser they do not com pletelyrand infallibly serve the intended purpose.

The object of the present invention is to provide a photographic camera with means which shall practically prohibit the production of a double exposure, notwithstanding the ,inadvertenceor'earelcssness of the '4 user, and to this end we propose to provide 86 camera with automatic means which render itypractically impossible for the user of the camera to 'take a-picture in the ordinary manner, unless the film has been wound or changed 5 after the last preceding ex- {0 posure.

Cameras of the portable type are universally provided with" view-finding devices, and the use ofsuch devices is practically essential toljihe production of a picture, and

w is therefore habitual .with the users of such cameras, Accordingly, if the view-finder of a camera be rendered inoperative by any means, this will practically prohibit the production of a picture, or will, at least,

to render it impossible without'notice of the ":gc'ondition of the finder on the art of the user.' We take advantage of t is fact, in

" .providing against the production of double exposures, by employing automatic means which render the view-finder inoperative,

these means'being connected with and opinoperative condition.

-posure being produced each time,

i t The film-winding devices erated by the shutter-operating mechanism,

so that, coiiicidentally with the production of each exposure, the finder is thrown into In order that the operative condition of the finder may be. restored, we employ manually-operable means for this purpose; and after the production of an exposure, if the operator attempts to take another icture, the inoperative condition of the d manually-operable means have beenused to restore the operative condition. The use of these means constitutes a reminder or notice of the necessity of winding or changin the film. In the preferred embodiment 0% the invention the manually-operable means for s0 restoring the operative condition of the finder: are com ined or associated with themeans for win ing or changin the film, so that the two 0 erations are pergrmed simultaneously, an .no additional manual 0 6s nder prevents this until the t-ionsare imposed upon the user 0 the p the accompanying drawings:Figure 1 is a front-elevation of a'cameraemhodying the present invention, with a part of the front broken awayto show the interior mw'hanisrln, the parts being shown in the position in which the-finders are in inoperative mondltion'; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, "except that the finders are shown in inoperative condition; Fig. 3 is a side-elevation of the camera, with a part of the casing broken away, showing. the parts-in the same pgsition as in Fig, 1; and Fig. 4a is a detailqg ew, in side-elevatiomshowing the key by which the film is wound und'the finder is restored to operative condition.v

The invention is illustrated as embodied which roll-film is employed. The camera has a rectangula -box or casing 5 provided,

'c amel'a by the use ofthe present invention.

in a camera of a well known box type, in'.

at the front, with a lens 6 and -a shutter 7.

The camera is shown as provided, in the usual manner, with two finders operable, re-' spectively, from the top and the side of the camera, according as the length of the film is to be used vertically or horizontally. The upper finder has a lens at the front of the camera, and the lower finder is provided with a lens 11. The finders are also provided with ,windows 12 and 13, respectively, in the top and one side of the camera-box.

While the finders may be rendered inoperative in various ways, the means preferably employed for this purpose, and illustrated in the drawings, are m the form of an obturat'or or shutter which is nearly similar, in its mode of operation, to a shutter of the well known rotary type previously used for controlling-the exposureopening of a camera. This obturator com prises a circular plate 151, which is mounted to turn on a pivot 15. The plate is profinders, while, in the opposite extreme posi-,

and-in one position of the plate, as shown in Fig. 1, the openings 16 and 17 lie in front of the lenses 10 and 11 of the two tion of the plate, the openings-17 and 18 lie in front of. the lenses 10 and 11, respecitively. The plate is actuated by means of a.

1 wire spring 19, which is mounted on a stud projecting from the actuating-lever 8 of the shutter 7. This spring engages 9. lug '21'o'n the plate 14, and when the actuatinglever is" swung to its lower position, as

shown in Fig. 1, the spring tends to rock. 35 the plate 14 in a counter-clockwise direc-g tion,-xwhile an upward movement of the leyer, to the position of Fig. 2, causes the the plate in a spring 19-to tend to rock clockwise direction. v

The rotative movements ofthe plate 14 are limited by two-stop-lugs 22 and-24,, which-cooperate witha fixed detent 23, and when either of the lugs 22 and 24 is in contact with the detent the plate 14 is in one of the two positions above described,

" the in which the finder-lenses are not obscured. \Vhen the plate 14 is in an intermediate position, however, the lens 10 is obscured by the part of the plate lying between the holes 1 50 16 and 17, whilerthe l ens v11 is obscured by the part lying betweenthe holes 17 and'18. This is the Fi". 2.

he. plate 14 is automatically rested in position of Fig. 2 by the action of a stop-lcver'25.- This lever has an extremity 26 which is adapted to engage a notch 27 in the edge of the plate. The lever 25 turns upon a, stud 28, and a spring 32 tends to swing it in a direction to engage the notch 27. When: the plate is in the position of Fig. 1, however, the extremity 26 of the lever rests 1 against the rear surface of the p ate,

but when' the operating-lever .8 is

(:5 moved from one position to the other the The camera may then be position of the-parts shown in 'erationf, it will be resulting rotation of the plate 14 brings the notch 27 into registration with the stoplever, whereupon the plate is arrested as in Fig.

In order to release the stop-lever from the plate 14 its lower arm is arranged to cooperate with a part of the filmwinding mechanism. The beveled extremity 29 of the lever is in position to be engaged-b a cam 31, which is fixed on the stem 30 o the winding-kcy, as shown in Fig. 3. W'hen this key is rotated, accordingly, the cam engages the stop-leverand swings it in a direction to spring 19, the plate 14 continues its rotary movement until one or the other of the stop? lugs 22 and 24 is brought into engagement with the detent 23. In this manner the operative condition of the finders is restored.- vided with three openings 16, 17 and. 18,

I ter, it is necessary to Insure that after the operation of the winding-key, the key shall release its extremity 26 from the notch 27,

and thcrcupon under.the influence of the go not be left ina position in which the cam 31 is in engagementwiththe stop-lever. For this purposewords and arrowpoints may be stamped upon the escutcheonplate'o f the winding-key, as shown in Fig.4. V

In the use of the camera above described a picture may be taken by usingthe finder and operatingthe shutter asusuaL, The op eration of the. shutter results in the assumption, by the obturator-plateof its intermediate and operative'position, as shown in F ig. 2. If, then, the user attempts to take another picture before. winding the film the attempt will be frustrated, by reason of the fact that the finder-lenses are obscured, and

that the finders aretherefore inoperative.

causing the The user of the camera will thereby be noti-.

to one or the other of its inoperative positions, according to the shutter-operating lever 8 used again in the ordinary manner. i l

While we have described p'articular means, in the form'jof an obturatorf, for rendering the findc'rs inoperative upon the production of an exposure, and while 'we have shown our invention as embodied in a camera of a particular well known type, in which the film is changed by 'a winding opapparent that the invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment in these respects. It will also be ap-' parent that, while the film winding mechanism is conveniently 0lIX}')lO YCd as the manually-opemblc meansfor restoringthc operative condition of the findcrs, this also is not an essential feature of the invention,

osition which the appens to occupybut the invention may be embodied 'in various other fotms within its nature asit is defined in the following claims.

\Ve claim 1. In a camera, the combination, with shutter-mechanism and a view-finder, of means, actuated by said mechanisnnfor ren dering the view-finder inoperative after the productionof each exposure, and manuallyoperable means for restoring the operativeness of the view-finder.

2. In a camera havin a view finder, a shutter mechanism and lm-winding mechanism, means actuated by the shutter mechanism for automatically rendering the view finder inoperative after each exposure, and means actuated by the film winding mechanism for restoring the operativeness of the view finder when-said film winding mechanism is actuated.

3. In a camera having a view finder and a shutter mechanism, an obturator movable into and out of position to obscure said view finder, means actuated by said shutter mechanism for moving said obturator into obscuring position when said shutter mechanism is actuatedto make an exposure, and manually operable means for moving said obturator out of obscuring position.

4. In a camera having a view finder, a shutter mechanism, and a' film winding mechanism, an obturator movable into and out of position to obscure.said View finder, means actuated by said shutter-mechanism for moving saidobturator into obscuring position, and means actuated by said .film winding mechanism for moving said obturator out of obscuring position when said. film winding mechanism is actuated.

JOHN G. DENSEQ WILLIAM F. VOCKRQTH. 

